Columbia City in the Rainier Valley was incorporated as a town in January 1893 and annexed to Seattle in 1907. After the Great Seattle Fire of 1889, Columbia City grew in importance as a mill town furnishing Seattle with lumber from the surrounding area. By 1896 an electric rail system (the Seattle and Rainier Beach Railway Company) had been extended from Seattle down Rainier Ave. to Renton. This transportation line enabled new resources to be shuttled into Columbia City and allowed entrepreneurs to speculate in the growing real estate boom. The Columbia Hotel was built by Joseph Hellenthal, a German immigrant, and was the first brick building in Columbia City. Originally built as a private residence it eventually became a hotel serving such customers as Buffalo Bill Cody. Later it housed a speakeasy and a tavern called Slim's.